At least 60 former students of St. Gemma’s Girls Higher Secondary School in Kerala’s Malappuram district accused a CPI(M) councillor of the Malappuram municipality and a retired teacher of sexually abusing them for many years when he was their teacher at the school.
K.V. Sasikumar who retired from service in March this year, has been absconding after the police registered a case against him under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by a former student of the school.
The alumni group accused Sasikumar of abusing and even raping dozens of girls when they were between nine and 12 years of age.
Dozens of students who had been sexually abused by him over the years have formed a collective using the social media platform and began a campaign against him.
The Me-Too movement began with a Facebook post he made when he retired in March. His post portraying himself as an ‘ideal teacher’ received negative comments from his former students.
The alumni group’s head Beena Pillai told The Hindu that there were several cases of aggravated sexual assault involving Sasikumar. “Two girls had been on the brink of committing suicide, and one girl had to be hospitalised,” she said.
“Several parents have approached the school in the past with complaints. However, they tend to ignore it, asking students to behave properly,” she said.
Several groups including the Youth Congress, Muslim Youth League, the Welfare Party of India, the Fraternity Movement, and the Vanitha League staged protests here on Thursday demanding the arrest of Sasikumar.
The CPI(M) has dismissed the accused from its membership following the police case.
 councillor of the Malappuram municipality and a retired teacher of sexually abusing them for many years when he was their teacher at the school.){kind=link}